Understanding Guru Granth Sahib : The Living Guru

by Satjit Wadva

Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, is considered the living guru. When the tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh declared that after him there will be no human guru, he instructed his followers to seek guidance from the eleventh and eternal guru, the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Granth Sahib is unique in more ways than one. First of all, the entire voluminous scripture of 1430 pages is composed in poetry and can be sung with full-throated ease. Almost all of it has been set to music based on 31 ragas. It contains verses composed not only by the Gurus but also by Hindu and Muslim bhagats. Understanding Guru Granth Sahib by Satjit Wadva is a beginner's guide to approach and understand Guru Granth Sahib. It gives a glimpse of what it contains and outlines the context of how it came to be revered as the living guru. While it summarises the essence of the Guru Granth Sahib in simple and easy-to-understand language, it highlights the beauty of the poetic diction, the economy of words, the depth of thought and its rendition in the prescribed ragas????" all this to awaken a thirst in the seekers' hearts so that they approach their guru directly without depending on interpreters or intermediaries. For those who do not know the Gurmukhi script, this book gives a taste of Gurbani through the transliteration and translation of three major compositions: Japuji, with which the Guru Granth Sahib begins, Asa-di-Var, which is sung in the prescribed raga and tune in the early hours of dawn, and Salok Mahalla Naunva, with which the Guru Granth Sahib concludes. It is a humble attempt to establish a link between the disciple and the master.

190 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ved Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sikhism attracts me like a magnet. Since long I wanted to know a bit about their holy book which is considered as a living Guru by the followers of the faith.

So I picked up this book which is a beginner's guide to approach and understand Guru Granth Sahib. This guide proved quite helpful in enhancing my understanding.

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When the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh declared that after him there will be no human Guru, he instructed his followers, "
Sab Sikhan ko hukum hai guru manyo Granth". Thus all the Sikhs are instructed by 10th Guru to follow the Granth as their Guru.They seek guidance from the eleventh and eternal Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib.


Guru Granth Sahib is the fountainhead of knowledge, expressed in poetry and set to music. The 1430-page (5,894 hymns) holy scripture has been arranged in 31 Ragas. Under each raga, the bani of Guru Nanak comes first followed by next 8 gurus. Apart from Gurus the saints whose bani has been included are Kabir, Sheikh Farid, Trilochan, Bhagat Beni, Ravidas, Namdev, Dhanna, Surdas, Jaidev, Bhikhan etc. Thus we see that this holy book includes the teachings of saints from divergent religious and caste background. Baba Farid was Muslim, Ravidas was cobbler, Namdev was washerman and so on.

The four guiding principles of conducting life are summed up as :

Kirat karna : working for one's living.

Wand Chhakna : Sharing your food with others.

Naam Japana : remembering the creator with every breath.

Bhana manna : Acceptance. Acceptance is the only way to get rid of fear.


Though Guru Granth Sahib considers almighty as nameless and formless but almost every verse in the 1430-page (5,894 hymns) mentions Naam in one way or another. Yet the ultimate is nameless. To further deepen the mystery, a variety of names of God have been repeated profusely. Ram occurs most often but other names such as Hari, Govind, Narayan, Allah, and Waheguru also occur again and again.


Above all, the Gurbani is meditative poetry. It creates the atmosphere in which you can go through all the stages of meditation, starting with listening, understanding, thinking, introspecting, contemplating and finally attaining that space where meditation is possible.


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I love listening to Gurbani and one of my ringtones is :

Ek Omkar Satnam Karta Purukh Nirbhau Nirvair Akal Murat Ajooni Saibham Guruprasad.

( One universal creator God. The name is truth. Creative being personified. No fear. No hatred. Image of the undying, beyond birth, self-existent. By Guru's grace.)